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Many people, when they suspect they have depression or have their diagnosis confirmed by a doctor, do not even want to hear about taking antidepressants. Meanwhile, most of the concerns associated with these drugs are unfounded. Medicines used today are modern and their side effects are really kept to a minimum. However, their effectiveness in fighting the disease is really high.
Some of the symptoms we fear may or may not occur. And when they do, you just have to go back to the doctor and tell him about them. By changing the dose or prescribing a different preparation, a psychiatrist can deal with these unpleasant side effects. So the most important thing is to talk honestly with your doctor about any doubts or adverse reactions in your body.
– I often explain to patients who have read disturbing opinions about a given preparation on the Internet that people who were helped by the drug do not sit down at the computer to describe it – says Dr. Agnieszka Ziołkowska, psychiatrist, medical director of the Pro Psyche Clinic in Warsaw. – When they feel better, they go back to work, meet with friends, take care of their family … And those who have failed in the preparation, sit and write. Because they lack energy for work, family and friends. So, when looking for any antidepressant drug on the Internet, we will mainly find negative reviews. But that doesn’t mean these drugs aren’t helping anyone!
Do a simple test to see if you may be depressed
How antidepressants work
The belief that antidepressants control our behavior and even change our personality, while completely unfounded, is very common. “It’s chemistry,” say those who refuse to take it.
– No drug has such a power, it can not change us into someone we are not – says Dr. Ziołkowska. – These are drugs, like all drugs, used in chronic diseases. Does the diabetic or person with high blood pressure think drugs change their personality? No, they only remove or alleviate the harmful symptoms and effects of the disease. Antidepressants work in a similar way.
If we have an extroverted temperament, medications will help us regain it. However, they will not turn a shy, hidden person into the life of the party, or a faithful husband into a dissolute love adventurer! On the other hand, an adventurer who spent a year in the four walls of his own home due to depression can, ‘thanks to’ pharmacotherapy, return to his old habits and go ‘hunting’ again. However, this has nothing to do with the drug-induced personality change.
Dependence on antidepressants
Yes, antidepressants cannot be discontinued suddenly, alone, without the cooperation of a doctor. But just as well, you can’t stop taking other medications: epilepsy, high blood pressure, glaucoma, asthma, and hundreds of other diseases. A diabetic who would one day stop taking insulin could cause a sharp deterioration in his health. Just like a person who takes thyroid hormones on a regular basis throwing drugs into the bin, they are likely to feel the consequences of this step quickly. However, this has nothing to do with the addiction we talk about with alcohol, drugs or nicotine. Thousands of patients stop taking antidepressants after their treatment without any problems and live peacefully and happily without them – but this must be done under the supervision of a physician, at a time chosen with him, in a strictly defined manner.
Effect of antidepressants on libido
Yes, after antidepressants there are problems with potency, and in women – with achieving orgasm. However, this is not a rule at all, and if this happens, you can change the preparation or its dose, you can also give it a different preparation that supports sexual life.
– In Poland, doctors are still often not interested in the intimate sphere – says Dr. Agnieszka Ziołkowska. – Patients stop taking medications on their own when they notice problems with intercourse or do not know that it may be a side effect of taking these preparations, they are additionally stressed by new problems. “Not only is I depressed, I am still not working in bed,” they think.
It also happens that libido is lowered due to depression itself, and not taking medications – this is one of the typical symptoms of this disease.
So when the drugs take effect, there can be a clear shift in your intimacy as well.
What if it doesn’t? You need to see a doctor about it. After all, depression treatment sometimes takes several years, and medications are designed to help the patient recover – in all aspects of life.
– Satisfactory intimate contacts are one of the important determinants of a successful life and effective therapy – emphasizes Dr. Ziołkowska.
Antidepressants in pregnancy
That’s true – but only in the first trimester. From the fourth month of pregnancy, antidepressants may be administered. And if the doctor decides that there are indications for drug treatment, it makes no sense to hesitate. Pregnant women sometimes really suffer from depressive symptoms.
– Let’s not forget that in some people depression is associated with suicidal thoughts – says Dr. Ziołkowska. – In this case, in the case of severe depression, with the risk of a suicide attempt, it seems absurd to protect the fetus from possible effects of drugs while exposing it to death.
The doctor must therefore assess the condition of the woman and decide whether to give her medications, and if so, what. Of course, women who suffered from depression before pregnancy cannot take pre-pregnancy medications without consulting a psychiatrist! But they also cannot stop overnight, without talking to their doctor, and hope that the joy of pregnancy will drown out the symptoms of depression.
The most reasonable solution for a woman treating depression, planning a pregnancy, or suspecting that she may be in it, is to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible, who will determine the best course of action in this particular case.
Psychotherapy in the treatment of depression
Not! Psychotherapy can actually help people who suffer from depression. It even happens that you get out of it without medication, thanks to meetings with a psychotherapist. This can happen especially in the case of reactive depression, which is, as the name suggests, a reaction to some traumatic experience; breaking up with a partner, losing a job, etc. Here, talking, ‘working through’ the problem and finding a way to react to the new situation can actually be helpful. Cognitive behavioral therapy in particular gives good results.
In patients with endogenous depression, i.e. depression not being a reaction to a specific life event, psychotherapy is often very useful – but alongside pharmacological treatment. Usually, it is introduced only after the drugs start to work and the patient is able to work on his problem with a psychotherapist.
So, only a doctor can decide how to treat depression.
– Antidepressants and psychotherapy are certainly not substitutes, but they complement each other perfectly – says Dr. Agnieszka Ziołkowska.
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